Even after submitting his name to the transfer portal just last week, Nils Machowski was determined to contribute to UCF’s first-round contest in the College Basketball Crown Tournament.
Coach Johnny Dawkins decided to let him play—and the decision paid off.
Machowski delivered a career performance, securing a career-high 15 points as UCF triumphed over Oregon State, 76-75, on Tuesday night at The MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas.
The Knights will play Cincinnati in the quarterfinals on Thursday (6:30 p.m., FS1). It would be the second time these teams have faced off this season, with UCF losing 93-83 to the Bearcats at Addition Financial Arena on Feb. 5.
Trailing 76-75, Oregon State’s Damarco Minor hit a 2-point shot with 5 seconds left on the clock, but it was waved off after Beavers coach Wayne Tinkle had called a time-out. UCF held on for the victory.
Machowski connected on 55% (5 of 9) shots, including 60% (3 of 5) from 3-point range.
Guard Tyler Hendricks, who joined Machowski in the portal last week, also played and had his first double-double with 15 points and 10 rebounds. Darius Johnson scored 15 points, while Moustapha Thiam added 10 points and 9 rebounds.
UCF (18-16, 7-13 Big 12) was without its top scorer, Keyshawn Hall, who declared for the 2025 NBA Draft last week and was one of seven players to enter the transfer portal.
The Knights went on a 14-4 scoring run in the final five minutes of the first half to build their biggest lead at 45-36.
But Oregon State chipped away at the lead, outsourcing UCF 26-16 in the first 10 minutes of the second half, pushing ahead 62-61 and grabbing their first lead since the 4:42 mark in the first half.
Back-to-back buckets by Hendricks and Dallan Coleman pushed the Knights ahead at 65-62. It was the 15th lead change in the game. Still, it remained a back-and-forth affair as both teams traded the lead over several minutes.
Liu Lelevicius led four Oregon State players in double-digits with 20 points, Maxim Luge scored 18, and Minor scored 16.
This is the third consecutive season in which the Knights have qualified for a postseason tournament. They played in the National Invitation Tournament in 2022-23 and 2023-24.
Matt Murschel can be reached at mmurschel@orlandosentinel.com
